Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner weighs in on back-to-work legislation for education workers

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner is criticizing a provincial bill that would force a contract on education workers and ban them from striking. 

“Taking a chainsaw to the charter rights of the lowest-paid education workers in the province is not going to lead to the stability we need in our education system,” the Guelph MPP said.

The legislation uses the notwithstanding clause to override portions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a five-year term.

“Bargaining rights are what workers use to be able to negotiate fair wages and better working benefits whether you're in the private or public sector. For the government to take away their individual constitutional rights is wrong,” Schreiner told CityNews 570.

While Education Minister Stephen Lecce has said the legislation is designed to keep kids in class, Schreiner said it would have the adverse effect—more instability. 

“You're going to see job action from education workers and you're going to see our classrooms continue to be understaffed, especially when it comes to educational assistants, which play such a vital role in supporting, especially students with specially needs,” he said. 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 55,000 workers including custodians, education assistants, early childhood educators, and administration staff has said more than half its workers work at least one additional job to make ends meet.

It's asked for annual wage increases of $3.25 per hour, along with other supports in schools. 

“Trying to get by on less than $40,000 a year is pretty tough for anyone, so asking for a few extra dollars an hour in order to be able to go to work and earn an income, to be able to put a roof over your head and pay the bills, I don't think that's an unreasonable thing to ask, especially for people who do such vital work,” Schreiner said.

The Guelph MPP said the province is repeating mistakes made in the healthcare system.

“Talking about underfunding and I'm talking about basically telling frontline workers, in the case of some of the lowest-paid education workers, that 'we're not going to negotiate with you. We'll offer you a few extra cents per hour, and that's it. Take it or leave it.”

Healthcare workers have retired early or left the profession in droves and Schreiner said he doesn't want to see something similar happen in schools.

He told CityNews 570 that it's important for him to listen to families and education workers and to speak out, even if the Ford government could push the legislation through with a majority. 

CUPE's education worker members are planning to walk off the job in a province-wide protest on Friday. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also criticized the province's use of the notwithstanding clause.